hi all, shiba is now approx 15-16 weeks old, she is having 3 meals a day, pedigree chum pouches and small bite mixer.
she also has chicken and rice or fish and rice as a change and a treat.
My question is how long do i feed her 3 meals a day for? when shall i cut her down to 2 then 1.
at the moment her meals are breakfast, mid-day, and evening about tea time..
our collie is 4 and she just has 1 meal a day usually in the evening about tea time
thanks

I cut mine down to 2 meals at 6 months

hi is this right what i have read, god its been a long time since i had shepherds.
at 5-6 months two meals a day morning and early evening then at 12 months 1 meal usually in the evening??

Yep, unless you want to keep on with feeding twice a day. I feed mine twice a day all their lives from 6 months old.
:)

I always fed 4 meals while still a young pup, then at 6 months went to 3 meals and down to two meals at a year old- and still feed two meals a day from then onwards:-) 

Stacey x x x   

always feed large breeds 2 x a day at least this reduces the chance of bloat and torsion and remember to rest dog for an hour before feeding and an hour after feeding.

Hi GDS Sam,

I alway feed and have fed all my shepherds twice aday, albeit they are not a breed that is prone to torsions, it is better on the digestive system :-) & biscuit,I have found in the 15 years that I have been owned by shepherds that they thrive on raw tripe. My best friend who has bred for 30+ years has done research into it and has found that dry/commercial food causes tumours :-( As they are very prone to tumours I have never risked it and my eldest shepherd lived until 16. Youngest died at 12. I feel all large breeds ( i also have a Briard, much larger than a shepherd) should have 2 meals a day as they have more time to digest and take the goodness from the food, does this make sense raw veg & fruit if they will eat it will also not do them any harm, might make them a but smelly though :rolleyes:
best of luck :D

i also give my girl 1 apple a week she really loves them, she also like a piece of dried toast of a morning.
i know she likes those things but is it wise for me to let her carry on having them?
thanks all for your feedback.
sam xx

Apple is fine for dogs as is most fruit bar grapes.  Personally I would not feed toast as I don't feed grains of any kind but I know a lot of dogs who like their toast for breakfast :)

Hi

I have a two year old GSD will soon be getting another ;-).  Os is on 2 meals a day to reduce the risk of bloat which deep chested breeds like shepherds are very prone to.  Personally I'd never cut down to 1 meal.  As for the cuttign out the 3rd / 4th meal there seem to be mixed opinions!  Many people on the GSD forum that I belong to say that the feed their pups 2 meals from day 1 from taking them home!  I think often it depends on the dog, if they start skipping a meal themselves then cut it out!

Jayne

thankyou everyone for such possitive feedback, i think that when she is 6 months old i will try to cut out the mid-day meal and just see if shes ok, im sure i will see signs from her if she is still hungry, i will feed her whenever she wants but i dont want to be overfeeding, it seems like catch 22.
thanks
sam

As long as you are following the reommended guidelines for the food you are using (give or take a bit) and then splitting this amount by the number of feeds you are giving then you should be fine.  All dogs tend to get into a routine - we give Os two meals a day and he will normally leave a bit of his breakfast that we then take up and add to his evening meal, so he is getting a slightly bigger dinner than breakfast on most days.
The thing to remember with pups (and we had a nightmare with Os who was sooooo skinny till he got to about 2 years) is that the go through skinny phases and then chunkier phases so just keep an eye on them.  With GSDs you should be able to see the last rib from the side view and if you look down then you should be able to see a bit of a waist if you know what I mean.

Thanks and enjoy your pup!
Jayne

<<<<As long as you are following the reommended guidelines for the food you are using (give or take a bit) and then splitting this amount by the number of feeds you are giving then you should be fine>>>
Have to disagree with this..all dogs are individuals and should be fed as such..Even If I fed my boys anywhere near the recommended amount they would look like weebles in the ring at crufts next weekend!!
Archer

if you met shiba she is 16 weeks old but 1 hell of a stocky bitch, her front paws are huge and i mean huge she reminds me and my friends of a bear or lion cub.
her shoulders are wide and she is heavy.
her weight is in preportion to her age and breed, if she scrounges around us for titbits or more food then i will continue to increase her daily food.she is wormed up to date so the scrounging may be hungry related, i think i need to play it by ear as such.
thanks sam

GSD Sam my GSD is now 10 mths old i use to feed her on Burns but took her off it because she was sooooo hungry and would crounge for other food.
I feed her twice a day on meat and biscuits which i must say has done very well and her coat and general condiotion are still the same as they were.
At 10 mths she weighs in at 32.9kg vet and nurse said she is great you can still feel her ribs so she is not under nor is she over.
As you say yours is 15 -16wks and very stocky mine was exactly the sam when i bought her homw at 7 1/2 wks my neighbours thought i had bouhgt an older dog home cause of the size of her. Just take care not to over feed as you don't won't her to gain to much weight, the hips won't take it.
All in all the amount of food i feed  mine could feed my adult aswell but i think as she is so big she needs the food to mantian herself.